After the surprise success of Tales of the Jedi (2022) among Star Wars fans, Disney+ was destined to capitalize once again in this stroke of genius in the form of TV animation. Always in the capable hands of Dave Filoni, now the official Creative Director of Lucasfilm, the series of original short stories is back with two new characters to explore, but this time we’re changing sides. The Jedi had their day, now let’s deep dive into some villains which are strongly linked to the evil Empire.

An IGN contributor said it perfectly, the Tales series is more of a collection of exquisite Star Wars snacks rather than an actual meal (considering the very short runtime of each episode, usually around ten minutes each), but it still proves to be very effective at closing character arcs in this universe.

Although not as strong as Tales of the Jedi in terms of characters (at least for 50% of it), but heavier in action sequences, this new season is pretty good at its time jumps in between episodes, always exploring three key eras of the Star Wars timeline – the Clones Wars, the Reign of the Empire and the Rise of the New Republic – and how the protagonists played their part in them. Contrary to Jedi, Empire is bolder in its choice of storylines as Filoni chose to focus on two minor characters that did not appear in any motion pictures of the Skywalker saga. This is a good argument for the endless possibilities of the Star Wars universe, as promoting creative storytelling outside of the events of the movies is totally possible.

The first half of Tales of the Empire, although less exciting, made the choice to explore the path of a recent creation of Lucasfilm, a live-action character that was only just introduced in 2019’s The Mandalorian season 2 and again in the first season of Ahsoka in 2023: Imperial agent Morgan Elsbeth. Personally, I was never really attached to this character but the animation show made a stronger case for her.

The very first episode starts strong as we meet a younger Morgan living among the witches of Dathomir at the time of The Clone Wars. The Separatist forces are in the early stages of invading the planet as they set fire to her village, and we recognize the iconic cough of General Grievous in the distance as we witness events from the original animated series from a new perspective. Trying to face off against the General and his multiple lightsabers, Morgan sees her spiritual mother killed in front of her eyes and is forced to play dead in order to survive. Rescued and invited to live with the more peaceful mountain tribes, she quickly understands that her aggressive nature is too much for them. Her destiny calls her elsewhere…to a stronger leadership.

In the second episode (the best of the first half), we find Morgan in more familiar grounds during the Reign of the Empire where she established herself as an undervalued Imperial Consultant. Trying to sell new TIE Fighter technology to Imperial officers (without success), she is followed by an unknown officer on her new industrial home planet of Corvus, where she serves as governor in exchange for putting the locals to work. That is where Grand Admiral Thrawn finally comes out of the shadows, confirming his interest in recruiting Elsbeth for her skills and her ruthless quest for revenge. As we know, this partnership between the two will endure until the events of Ahsoka.

The last episode takes place a few days or weeks before the events of The Mandalorian season 2 as the galaxy is under the supervision of the New Republic after the destruction of the Second Death Star. As one of the last few remaining Imperial loyalists, a New Republic Ambassador is asking Morgan to stand down and let go of her dictatorial rule over the people of Corvus. This request is met with violence and Morgan’s power on the locals remains as strong and committed. As for the rest, refer to The Mandalorian season 2 and Ashoka.

As for the second half of the series, we are re-introduced to another female character who had a minor (but very important) role in The Clone Wars. We are talking about Jedi Padawan turned traitor Barriss Offee. As we remember, during the events of The Clone Wars, Barriss framed Ashoka Tano for her crimes and was later sentenced to jail. We did not know what became of her after Order 66, but Tales of the Empire does deliver here though.

Speaking of which, the first episode introduces us to Barriss in the ‘discomfort’ of her cell on Coruscant. The only window in the room tells us what we need to know about the timeline as the Jedi temple is burning in the distance; we are during the events of Revenge of the Sith and Order 66 has just been issued. Lucky to not be identified as a Jedi anymore, she receives the visit of Lyn, the Jedi who chose to become the Fourth Sister of the Inquisitorious. Aware of Barriss’ talents, she will bring her to the Grand Inquisitor for a series of tests. This will involve engaging other Jedi recruits in a duel to receive the biggest of honours: a role to play in the new Empire. Quickly enough, Barriss succeeds and becomes the Inquisitor she was destined to become…or so we thought.

A few years later, in the second episode, the Empire is at the height of its glory and the Inquisitors are searching the Galaxy for hidden Jedi. Among them, Barriss and the Fourth Sister are sent to a remote planet following the rumour of a Jedi nesting in the mountains. Although playing along with the Inquisitors rules, Barriss finds herself conflicted about killing innocents and her Jedi training is still very present in her mind. When they finally find said fugitive, Barriss is unwilling to do murder, so she stops the Fourth Sister before the mission is completed and she force pushes her down the mountain.

Now, the third episode of Barriss’ storyline and the final episode of Tales of the Empire is something else…and hands down THE BEST episode of the series. The timeline is not 100% clear, but we are in the later stages of the Rebellion. Barriss is still alive and well, she left the Inquisitorious long ago and is now living on a cold planet as a witch doctor, helping people through the Force and offering safe passage to refugees. As she offers a way out to a family in need with a Force-sensitive child, she senses the presence of an old enemy nearby: the Fourth Sister (Lyn) is back! Having found her after decades, Barriss is able to trap Lyn in a labyrinth of ice, unable to escape as her rage blinds her (very resonant of Yoda’s cave on Dagobah during the events of The Empire Strikes Back). Barriss succeeds in helping Lyn see the light, and possibly leave the Dark Side behind once and for all.

Although a little lower in quality compared to Tales of the Jedi, Empire is still an impressive Star Wars snack! It continues to show that Filoni is a master at creative storytelling in the Star Wars universe and how relevant animation can be to deliver on his promises. I admit that I would like to see longer episodes in the future, but I find this formula to work well enough; it answers many questions rapidly and closes key storylines that the movies and TV shows could not.

Keep up the good work, Filoni. We want more of these Tales!
What’s next? Tales of the Sith or Tales of the Rebellion perhaps…?

FINAL GRADE: 7.5/10